Author's Note: This chapter took me some time to get through, especially Ryan's part at the beginning. I'm still not completely satisfied with the way it came out, but here you go! To everyone loved Ryan's speech in the last chapter, I hope you like this one as much!
Thanks to krfan, italianvballgirl, ScRuPuLoUs, fallinrain, digigirl02, and rockyshadow for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of the High School Musical franchise.
Sunday morning, the girls slept in longer than they had originally expected. Of course, that probably had to do with the fact that they had been up for almost three hours going over Troy and Gabriella's two-minute 'event of the night'. Following that discussion had been speculation over what the boys were planning (Sharpay and Taylor didn't let on that they knew a few things, and even they didn't know the full plans) and a lengthy discussion of why Gabriella's father was there at that particular time. When they woke up, they not only had numerous questions, but empty stomachs. The best thing, perhaps, about being in the room right next to the boys, was that they had someone looking out for them. Taylor sent a text message to Chad. Not two minutes later, someone was knocking on the door.
"Room service," Zeke called. Kelsi opened the door and Zeke held out four small deli bags, each labeled with a name. He nodded curtly at the girls' thanks, threw a wink in his girlfriend's direction, and went back to his room. Kelsi hopped back onto the bed, tossing each bag to its respective owner.
"Ah, breakfast in bed," Gabriella sighed, opening the bag. Each girl pulled a note out of her bag. They looked at each other, not sure how to react. Taylor and Sharpay's notes were written on the Waldorf stationary. Kelsi's was on manuscript paper and Gabriella's came on stiff tea-bag-stained stationary. They silently agreed to read them all aloud right away.
"Good morning gorgeous. I know how much you love these. I think this breakfast is perfectly you-it's cute, and sweet, and you're always left wanting more-just like I am with you." Taylor read. She pulled a French Cruller (her favorite doughnut) out of her bag as the other girls cooed. Her boyfriend may have been a basketball player, but he was very sweet.
"Good morning sweetie, I know that you love my bakery skills, so I'm sorry to say that I bought this. However, I promise to make it up to you by cooking for you the next time I see you (after this trip, of course). This breakfast may be even more incredible than you...wait a minute, that's not possible," Sharpay read. "Is that not the cutest thing!" she squealed, pulling out a strawberry Danish. "Omigosh I love these!"
"Good morning beautiful. Stop blushing," Gabriella began. The other girls giggled. Troy knew her too well. "You're beautiful, and I'm going to make sure you don't forget that all day. Just thought I'd let you know that, beautiful. I'll see you in a little bit, but in the meantime, enjoy this cinnamon roll that's not quite as beautiful as you." She pulled out her favorite breakfast, trying desperately to ignore her friends' excited giggles. Once they all calmed down, Kelsi read Ryan's note.
"Lovely morning isn't it? I've been sitting here, trying to find the perfect way to do this. Because you're perfect. Then I came up with this, and everything...fit. You'll understand soon enough. First, let me talk to you about the pastry that's in your bag. It's a croissant, and in so many ways, it's you. It's simple, and soft. It's part of our past together, and at the same time, you know that it's part of our future," she paused, reading the next line.
"Kelsi, we all read ours, you have to read yours, too," Sharpay demanded, dying to know what her twin brother had written.
"That's something you mean to me. You have been a huge part of my past, and I know that you will always be there in my future. Whenever you need me, I'll be around," she finished quietly, a tear in her eye. Gabriella noticed immediately.
"Kelsi," she whispered. "What's wrong?" Kelsi shook her head.
"Nothing," she sniffed. She took a deep breath. "That's what he said once about my mom. Right after she died, he reminded me that she was a huge part of my life, and she would always be there when I needed her."
It was comforting, after all those years, for Kelsi to talk about her mother. The pain of her death had numbed over the years, and she was left with all the wonderful memories she could have ever asked for.
As the girls got ready for the day, they listened to Kelsi tell animated stories, focusing almost as much on Ryan as on her mother.
Each girl had the opportunity to shower before they all dressed for the fancy lunch. Sharpay wore dark pink, of course. The second dress she had featured a V-neckline and cut off just past halfway down her thigh. She added a silver personalized necklace among a few other pieces of jewelry, and she was good to go. Almost.
"Have you guys seen my shoes?" she cried, tearing through her suitcase. Kelsi rolled her eyes, undisturbed by the fact that Sharpay had completely interrupted her story. On second thought, she was grateful-the girls didn't know about her first kiss, and they didn't really need to.
"Try under the bed," Gabriella suggested.
Gabriella had chosen a red knee-length dress that flared out as it reached her waist. It had spaghetti straps and was very simple. Only a thin line of frill accented the bottom and top of the dress. She took off the necklace from Troy in favor of the slightly longer gold necklace she had brought with her. It was a heart-shaped locket, with pictures of her and Sophia inside.
"It's the last gift my father gave me before he left," she explained when they asked why the pictures were so old. "I couldn't bear to part with it."
Taylor nodded and pulled out her sleeveless color block dress. The design was mainly black, featuring a band of light purple on the top. It also had thick shoulder straps. Taylor had been clever enough to bring along jewelry that matched both of her outfits, though she did have to pull out a different pair of shoes-this time choosing black open-toed dressy sandals.
Kelsi slipped into her pleated navy blue dress, feeling less self-conscious than when they had purchased it. She added the silver necklace from her mother's childhood and a silver link bracelet. Out of her suitcase, she grabbed her silver Mary Jane-styled flats.
Ms. Montez knocked on the door.
"Girls? Are you up?" she called, trying not to wake any of their sleeping neighbors. Gabriella took a quick look around, making sure everyone knew she was about to open the door. She looked through the peephole.
"It's just my mom," she assured the others before pulling the door open. "Hey mom," she greeted cheerfully.
"Did you girls let the boys know you woke up? They insisted on bringing you breakfast themselves, even though I offered to do it," Ms. Montez spoke quickly.
"Don't worry Mom, they already delivered it," Gabriella assured. Ms. Montez nodded, smiling knowingly. She had a general idea of what the boys were trying to do.
"I'm glad to hear it. I just wanted to let you know that we're meeting at the elevator in half an hour-will you ladies be ready by then?" Gabriella nodded at her mother's instructions. They all bid Ms. Montez goodbye and Gabriella shut the door.
Sharpay dragged Kelsi to the bed and forced her to sit down. Taylor jumped up on the bed behind Kelsi, and Gabriella watched from the side.
"Hey Gabs, can you grab my make-up kit from the bathroom?" Sharpay requested. Gabriella nodded and retrieved the over-stuffed bag.
"No!" Kelsi exclaimed, trying to stand up. "There is no way I'm wearing make-up."
"Not your choice," Sharpay stated, making her sit again. Taylor started working with Kelsi's curls while Sharpay dabbed on a light shade of make-up.
"Wow," Gabriella sighed as they finished minutes later. Sharpay grinned.
"Your turn," she ordered. Gabriella grimaced, and she and Kelsi switched places.
Five minutes before they were supposed to meet at the elevators, the girls heard a knock on the door. Sharpay answered it and was surprised to see Sarah standing there, four papers in her hand.
"I can't talk," Sarah apologized, handing her the notes. "The only thing I can tell you is not to read these aloud," she instructed. Without another word, she walked away.
"That was weird," Sharpay commented, handing out the papers. They followed the instructions they had received, each girl reading her message silently.
Packing the notes into their suitcases, the girls left their room. They walked to the elevator, last to arrive. Sharpay and Taylor went to their respective boyfriends to thank them properly for the gifts, leaving Gabriella and Kelsi with their respective crushes.
Once again, Kelsi and Ryan were a matching set; his dark blue tie was the same silky shade as her gown, as was his fedora. The boys had all heeded the advice of Gabriella, wearing ties and sports jackets. All four boys wore black sports jackets with their black dress pants and white dress shirts. The only differences among them were their ties, and they all matched their dates perfectly. Zeke's was pink (because Sharpay had demanded it), Chad's was black, and Troy's was Gabriella's favorite color-red.
"You look beautiful," Troy whispered, stepping closer to Gabriella. She blushed.
"Thank you," she whispered back, not wanting to break the delicate moment between them. A few steps away, Ryan faced Kelsi, speechless. Noticing this, Ms. Montez ushered the other couples and the younger girls into the first elevator. She gave them explicit instructions to wait in the lobby before the door closed.
"Kelsi," Ryan finally breathed as the others left. "You look amazing." She blushed and lowered her head. Ryan lifted her chin with two fingers and looked into her eyes. "There's nothing to be ashamed of-you look absolutely incredible."
"Thank you, and thank you for the notes," she added as an afterthought.
"Anything for you," Ryan grinned.
"Those notes were...wow," Gabriella sighed.
"I'll have to pass that onto Ryan-he's the one who came up with the idea. I just wrote yours," Troy smiled.
"Wait-does that mean you and Ryan are plotting together or something?" she asked tentatively as the second elevator opened. Troy nodded, grabbing her hand and leading her into the empty elevator.
Gabriella turned around when they got in, facing Kelsi. Ryan led her in the same way. Ms. Montez followed the couples, pressing the Lobby button the four teenagers had forgotten.
"They're planning something," Gabriella whispered to Kelsi suspiciously.
"Are you going to argue with it?" Kelsi asked. Gabriella shook her head.
"Just thought I'd let you know," she shrugged as the doors opened. There stood their friends, waiting, just as they had promised. Before they even stepped out of the elevator, Sophia shot a few pictures of the couples holding hands. Taylor and Sharpay looked like they were going to burst, but Kelsi silently shook her head.
"Sorry to burst your bubbles, ladies, but nothing's going to happen until sometime during the cruise," Chad released. Zeke, hearing this, promptly smacked Chad on the back of the head.
"You idiot," Zeke whisper-yelled. Sharpay and Taylor were very confused. Without providing them an explanation, he stalked away.
"Do me a favor?" he asked Sophia. The boys had informed the three younger girls of the plans earlier that morning so the girls could lend a hand for a few parts.
"What do you need?" she asked.
"Tell Troy and Ryan that we have a security breach courtesy of the bushy-haired idiot," he fumed. Sophia giggled before she nodded, waltzing to Troy. Gabriella and Kelsi had broken away from the boys for a moment to fix Elisabeth and Sarah's hairdos, giving Sophia the perfect opportunity. She passed on the message before Taylor pulled her away, insisting on fixing her bangs while they walked outside.
They piled into a pair of taxi vans, in the same two groups as the previous day. As they rode, they struck up various small conversations. The taxis pulled into the parking lot at pier 62. One by one, they got out.
"Hey Gabi?" Taylor asked cautiously, looking around. Gabriella turned her attention to her best friend. "Where, exactly, are we eating lunch?" Gabriella grinned. She had kept it a secret for weeks.
"You didn't tell them?" Ms. Montez exclaimed.
"No, Mami. I wanted it to be a surprise," Gabriella explained, leading them to the ship. They all looked at the large cruise ship in front of them, eyes wide. They were standing on line, getting ready to board.
"We're surprised," Sharpay confirmed.
"It's a lunch cruise," Ms. Montez chuckled. "They take you around the harbor." She pulled the tickets out of her purse, while Sophia pulled out her camera. A woman in front of them agreed to photograph the group. She took three shots before handing the camera back to Sophia.
The line moved forward and moments later, they stood before two tables, each large enough for six people. Troy and Ryan looked at each other and nodded, indicating the start of the next stage of both their plans. Chad and Zeke caught the signal and carried out their parts perfectly.
Zeke held out the first chair for Sharpay before sitting next to her. Chad led Taylor to the chair diagonal from Zeke's and pulled it out for her, sitting across from her. Ryan took Kelsi's hand. He stepped in front of her and brought her to the chair next to Taylor's. After he made sure she was settled, he sat next to her, facing his sister.
Troy brought Gabriella to the second table. He guided her to the seat that backed Kelsi's and sat with his back to Ryan. Chad reminded the younger girls where to sit, placing Elisabeth next to Gabriella, Sarah across from Elisabeth, and Sophia next to Sarah. Ms. Montez took the only remaining seat, in the furthest corner.
Without saying a word, Ryan reached over to Kelsi, taking her hand once again. He held her hand gently, hiding the contact under the table. Kelsi squeezed his hand. She slipped her free hand back, tapping Gabriella, and brought it around to tap Taylor. Taylor immediately turned to the younger girl with a questioning look on her face. Gabriella turned as well, noticing their linked hands in her peripheral vision. She discreetly mimed the motion to Taylor, who passed the message on to Sharpay. Gabriella turned her chair completely, joining the rest of her guests' conversations. Troy also turned around, placing his hand on the back of her chair, his thumb running up and down between her shoulder blades. Gabriella didn't notice her baby sister, who was snapping pictures once again. The camera was hidden from the sight of almost everyone, but Sharpay spotted it. She made a mental note to find out what, precisely, Sophia had discovered this time.
"Oh no, not this again," Gabriella groaned. People were coming from their tables to get food, which was set up right near them. Everyone followed her gaze. There, standing on the line, was her father. Behind him was a woman they assumed to be his wife and two children-a boy who looked about 10 and a girl who looked about seven. Gabriella looked like she was about to cry.
"We're all here to celebrate your birthday, Gabi," Taylor reminded her. "Don't let him ruin it." She nodded, some of her confidence restored. One of the waiters told them they could join the line for food, so they stood. They were careful to stay out of sight of Mr. Montez, just in case. As they sat down, the DJ started talking about the sites they were passing. They finished their lunches just as the ship reached the Statue of Liberty, which it would circle for a few minutes. The girls all stood up and raced out to the outer deck with their cameras; the boys followed a few steps behind. Troy and Ryan looked at each other and nodded. Troy spoke the three words he had been dying to say.
"Commence phase 4."
Next Chapter: the rest of the cruise, including whatever Troy means by 'phase 4'.
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the little cliffhanger here! Please review!
